A train of thoughts and writings on development, technology and the economy focusing on the socio-techno-economic-cultural surge of developing economies to regain and partake in leadership of the world. Written by George Easaw. (This is purely an academic site, no commercial use is allowed. Photography rights lie with the respective organisations). Mention credits as needed.

Monday, May 31, 2010

Idea Star Singer season 4 participants in the 14 th rounds, seven of them. Preethi Warrier, Srinath, Navya Nair, Anju Joseph, Rahul Sathyanath, Joby John and Danny Sebastian had a very memorable round with Shri O N V kurup, the noted lyricist of malayalam cinema. It was really enjoyed by the malayali crowd all over the world watching the progress of the competition.

Known for his high poetic style of writing, his lyrics have for most been converted to some of the most memorable and lovely Malayalam songs ever, second only in most cases to Vayalar ramavarma.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O._N._V._Kurup

I was overjoyed to listen to some of the most beautiful malayalam songs written by ONV and sung by the ISS participants.

The Russians are developing an airport security device that eliminates the privacy concerns that come with full-body scanners at the airports. They have a booth that you can step into that will not X-ray you, but will detonate any explosive device you may have on you.

They see this as a win-win for everyone, and there would be none of this junk about racial profiling. This method would also eliminate the costs of a long and expensive trial. Justice would be quick and swift. Case Closed !

I can see it now. You're in the airport terminal and you hear a muffled explosion. Shortly thereafter an announcement comes over the PA system: "Attention standby passengers - we now have a seat available on flight number _____".

Indian tourists ride on a traditional boat, at sunset on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, India, Tuesday, May 25, 2010. Set in the Himalayas at 5,600 feet (1707meters) above sea level, Kashmir is a green, saucer-shaped valley full of fruit orchards and surrounded by snowy mountain ranges. About 100 lakes dot its highlands and plains

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

This undated photo released by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities on Sunday, May 23, 2010, shows a tomb discovered in Lahoun, near Fayoum, some 70 miles (100 kilometers) south of Cairo, in Egypt. The Supreme Council of Antiquities says archeologists have unearthed 57 ancient Egyptian tombs, most of them containing a painted wooden sarcophagus with a mummy inside, with the oldest tombs dating back to around 2750 B.C. and twelve of the tombs belonging to the 18th dynasty which ruled Egypt during the second millennium B.C

It is great to see our forefathers, 200 generations back (!!!!, 4 in hundred years, ie. 40 in a millenium and 200 in 5 millenia..) live respectfully and bury their dead with respect and adoration ..

Friday, May 21, 2010

Were it not for his most advanced theories on how to use the binary digits for computations (1938-9, MS thesis at MIT, said to be the most influential Masters Thesis in the history of mankind ever) and how to use binary digits for communication ( PhD thesis at MIT, 1948) using Boolean algebra, which was very very advanced at that time, humans and businesses world over would not be living with all the computing and communications facilities..

All the telephone calls we make, the computers, games and presetations we make, the entertainment we see on TV , DVDs, satellite communications and theatres, nothing would have been possible but for the far reaching research done by Shannon in the 1940s..

Thanks to Shannon, ( AT&T Bell Labs is now called Shannon Labs), the whole world now rests on these 0s and 1s.

Let us give our respects to this great scientist and visionary, who died in 2001 from Alzheimers disease.

Unfortunately, the Nobel Foundation never got to honour this Scientist !! In my personal opinion, it is one of the greatest blunders of the Nobel Committee, not considering his work to be an application of Physics and honouring him for that. It is my sincere wish that the Nobel Committee honour Claude with the Nobel Prize, posthumously even now, as otherwise, it would be one of the greatest blunders in modern history ever !

According to the World Health Organisation, nearly 3,000,000 people suffer acute pesticide poisoning, with about 300,000 dying as a result of accidental pesticide poisoning every year.

This is an alarming finding, which we cannot ignore, say wellness experts.

"Pesticides, chemicals and fertilisers are bad for our health; they enter our bodies and poison us. The West has learnt about this and changed to healthy dietary habits. Why shouldn't we? Why should we eat cheap at the cost of our farmers' lives, who handle the pesticides and chemicals on our behalf? No doubt, chemicals and fertilisers made India self-sufficient in food, but now we have been made aware of their harmful effects. Hence, let's move towards a cleaner planet and healthier bodies," says Neelam Chhiber, of Mother Earth.

Healthy food is healthy body, healthy body is healthy mind, healthy mind is healthy nation. Unfortunately, India is becoming the centre of chronic diseases. Today, we are the diabetes capital of the world. The fingers point to the food we eat. It is time we wake up and do responsible eating. Today, the food that we eat is highly processed, packed with white flour, sugar and high in salt. On top of it, there's a cocktail of pesticides, preservatives, colours and additives. .According to health experts, exposure to pesticides causes cancer, reproductive abnormalities, hormone disruption and no immunity.

Naini Setalvad, Mumbai-based nutritionist and obesity and health consultant, says, "People who are fed on natural foods are healthier, smarter and more cheerful. One should replace white sugar with natural sugar obtained from dry fruits like prunes, dates, raisins, jaggery and honey and shift to whole grains, white meat like fish, chicken. Pulses, sprouts and less oil make your health superior. On top of it, if you are organic, your food is 100 per cent safe. Spiritually, the food is ahimsic, leading to a purer mind."

Natural foods contain no flavours, MSG, colouring or additives and are not genetically modified. With regard to meat, the animals are reared without any antibiotics or growth hormones. Once these achieve certification, they are certified as being 'organic'.

Natural foods have significantly higher levels of nutrients, depending on the choice of produce. The beneficial nutrients include foods that have higher amounts of salicylic acid and more Vitamin C, iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous. "You fed your family with love, now feed them with confidence that every bite is pure and free of diseases," concludes Setalvad. .

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Countries in the Indian Ocean rim get chance to give names to cyclones on rotation. The name Laila was given by Pakistan and the next one, ( do not know when it will hit) has already been named as Bandu by Sri Lanka..

The economically broken city of Detroit and the socially beleaguered Arab-American community both got a shot in the arm over the weekend when a Michigan beauty won the Miss USA 2010 title to much acclaim across the country.

Rima Fakih, a 24-year old Lebanese immigrant, is believed to be the first Muslim to win the pageant

Saturday, May 15, 2010

With the arrest of Shahzad Husain of the NY Times square failed car bomb, the involvement of the Pakistani Taliban in the war of terror involving mujahideens and the jihad is getting serious. We hear everyday either the administration or CIA telling something or the other on how matters need to be reined in , lest it go out of control.

A rethink on whether American funding of Pakistan in its war against terror is actually against India and US or against the terrorists themselves .. Following these revelations, Pakistan administration is tightlipped for the past week.

Fareed Zachariah in Newsweek, Quote : Until the Pakistani military truly takes on a more holistic view of the country's national interests—one that sees economic development, not strategic gamesmanship against Afghanistan and India, as the key to Pakistan's security—terrorists will continue to find Pakistan an ideal place to go shopping. : unquote

Unless the army restricts itself to the barracks and allow the ordinary man to decide his destiny, there can be no solution to this crisis in Pakistan.

Unfortunately Pakistan is isolating itself from the rest of the developed world and withdrawing itself inside the shell with each revelation. The genie of home-grown and cultivated terror is already out of the bottle, it is next to impossible to bottle it back ..

At time of independence, Pakistan was having equal development like India. After sixty five years, just worry where Pakistan is and where India is ?

Muthalik is teaching us how terror can be engineered in the society .. For some good money, he can create terror anywhere in Karnataka ..

Maybe it is frustration from some earlier action or bad memories of some foiled plots that is driving him to such planned terror activities .. The police, the common man believes, will take note of such moves and initiate action against these people early enough so that such incidents are not repeated by other self styled culture protection brigands to make a quick buck, in future..

Friday, May 14, 2010

Delhi Metro is the biggest infrastructure project taken up by independent India and is being run as the best in the world. No major city in the world has got a better and advanced metro railway and we can be really proud of that.. We need to keep it that way too ..

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

220,000 gallons being spilled daily to the sea floor at 1500 metres below sea level for free by BP with the help of its contractor, TransOcean in the Gulf of Mexico damaged oil rig is no joke, at least to the coastal residents of Lousiana, Alabama and Florida.. .. Already 9 million barrels have been spilled since the accident on April 20. It is just 1.8 million barrels less than the great oil leak in Alaskan waters from the oil tanker Exxon Valdez in 1989.

In what could be termed as the greatest oil spill to hit American coasts in recent years, the damage to the environment, flora and fauna can be mind boggling..

The compensation limits for environmental damages for the oil spill in US is being raised by Obama to $ 10 billion (app Rs 50,000 crores), while in India the environmental and personal health compensation in case of a nuclear accident due to US reactors is being limited to just Rs 500 crores..(just 1/100 th)

Saturday, May 08, 2010

This morning's newspapers except for The Hindu had headlines screaming that Mukesh has won this round of battle with his brother Anil. What is the fuss about this ??

Firstly, the gas from Krishna Godavari basin is national wealth, no family how influential it be can claim to exploit it for their selfish ends.

The deal broakered by Kokila, mother of the Ambani brothers in which Mukesh would give Anil natural gas from KG basin at $2.4/mbtu, brokered in the bed room of kokila will nowhere stand in the court of law. It is like fooling the people of this country and robbing them of their common wealth.

Let Anil buy gas from Mukeshs' RIL at $ 4.5 per mbtu and pay royalty to GoI. The GoI gets 27,000 crores as royalty. Why should the GoI gift it as concession to the richest and notorious family in India when millions do not even get a square meal a day ?

Bedroom deals are between the brothers, the common man should not be dragged to it.

In fact the GoI should charge a big fine, maybe Rs. 100 crores, from the brothers for trying to fool the country and its billion plus people for their selfish ends.. It will ensure they do not repeat the dirty tricks again on the people.

How audacious of them to think that they could rob the country of Rs 27,000 crores and get away with it ?

Friday, May 07, 2010

A good article on how developed economies have stopped being just consumers and have realised the need to be selling to the poor once again ..

Countries that have crossed the Hobbesian Threshold (stability in countries which have rule of law, sanitation, security and so on) to take up economic development like China and India, Brazil, South Africa..

The threat posed by the undervalued Chinese currency, renminbi is also highlighted..

Wednesday, May 05, 2010

Nohria received his bachelor of technology degree in chemical engineering in 1984 from the IIT Mumbai, which awarded him its distinguished alumnus medal in 2007.

He received his Ph.D. in management in 1988 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Sloan School of Management, where he earned the outstanding doctoral thesis award in behavioral and policy sciences.